STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Senior Maija Rice (L'Anse, Mich./L'Anse Area) poured in a career-best 31 points as the UW-Stevens Point women's basketball team (14-8, 3-8) came up short in a 68-62 loss to visiting UW-River Falls (13-9, 6-5) on Wednesday.
 
Rice was 9-for-18 from the field and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line as her 31 points was the lone double-figure total for UWSP. Kate Vanden Berg (Appleton, Wis./North) and Lily Truchon (Herbster, Wis./South Shore) had seven points each off the bench. Karissa Smith (Freedom, Wis./Appleton North) had a team-high five rebounds.
 
Rice and Truchon had four points apiece as the teams battled to a 10-10 draw. Ava Loftus (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) scored four points and Rice had four more late as the Pointers were down, 23-19, after one.
 
Rice completed an and-one and combined with Vanden Berg for the first 11 UWSP points of the second quarter. Brenna Gehri (Oshkosh, Wis./West) drilled a three late, but the Pointers were down, 37-35, at the half.
 
Rice scored the first four points of the third. Smith and Truchon each added a bucket and UWSP trailed by one, 46-45, heading to the fourth.
 
Jessilyn Ernst (Pardeeville, Wis./Pardeeville) hit a pair of free throws to halt a 6-0 start for UWRF in the fourth. Rice added 12 points in the quarter, but the Falcons held the lead to the buzzer.
 
The Pointers travel to UW-La Crosse on Saturday (Feb. 14) for a 3:00 p.m. game.